I gotta say, CD Projekt Red is killing it with all the free stuff they keep adding to The Witcher 3.
Not only did they just announce a big new 1.07 patch that promises to address the game’s lingering inventory and control issues (including “various improvements to horse behavior,” hooray), they’ve been steadily releasing free weekly DLC packs in the form of new character outfits, weapons, armor, scavenger hunts, and some fully fledged missions. Last time I checked in on Witcher 3 DLC, there was only one new quest among the more cosmetic offerings. Since then, a bunch of other stuff has been added, and most of it is pretty damned good.
First, the non-quest stuff. In the main menu under the downloadable content tab, you can now turn on an “alternative look for Triss” option that changes Triss Merigold’s outfit in-game. It puts her in a dress that... well, it’s pretty tacky.
It also doesn’t really fit the story, given that it screams “I AM A SPECIAL MAGICAL LADY, LOOK AT ME” despite the fact that Triss spends the majority of the game trying to remain incognito in Novigrad. Your mileage may vary.
You can also go and buy Undvik armor from the armorer at Kaer Trolde (the main castle) in Skellige. It’s pretty good heavy armor, though it’s expensive, and not as good as the mastercrafted armor I’m guessing many of you are rocking at this point.
However, the horse armor you can buy for Roach is great; it has higher stats than the gear I had even at level 34, and it makes Roach look pretty cool, to boot:
In addition to that stuff, there’s also a whole new scavenger hunt questline that eventually gives you an upgradeable set of Wolf School armor. I’d always thought the Wolf School (Geralt’s school) was conspicuously absent from the Cat/Bear/Griffin school armor that was in the game at launch, so it’s nice to see it added now. I haven’t done the full scavenger hunt, but given that I’m an armor-collecting obsessive, I definitely will. You can start the quest same as the other ones, by buying maps from vendors. I bought the first two maps from Hattori, the master blacksmith in Novigrad. Here’s a full list of the vendors who have maps.
Two more additions include the “Ballad Heroes” Gwent card set which... I’ll be honest, I don’t play Gwent and haven’t checked them out. If you’re into Gwent, however, I’m sure you’ll be happy to have new stuff. The elite crossbows are available at a few different vendors across the game, but none of them measure up to my high-level Feline crossbow, so they’re not for me.
On to the quests. The first one is a level 10 quest called “Fool’s Gold,” and it can be a bit tricky to find. It’s not on a notice board or anything; you have to head to this point on the map in Velen:
From there, things unfold naturally. You’ll meet a somewhat daft gentleman and get involved with a village full of pigs. At one point, you will herd pigs, but thankfully it’s nowhere near as annoying as the other herding quests in this game. It also leads to enjoyable moments like this one, as Geralt purposefully strides alongside a bunch of pigs:
Stride on, Master Witcher.
Next, there’s “Skellige’s Most Wanted,” a level 29 contract that will turn up on your map as a yellow notice board in the town of Fyresdal in Skellige. Like the other new DLC contract, it’s of the “Contract With A Twist!” variety, and I don’t want to spoil the twist, so I’ll just say it’s a neat little quest with a fun ending, depending on the conversational choices you make.
Lastly there’s “Where The Cat And Wolf Play,” another mission that starts as a contract you can get on notice boards in Crow’s Perch or at the village of Oreton to the south, near Crookback Bog. It’s a level 25 quest that features yet another twist, and another interesting decision to make. I liked it, and I’ll leave it at that.
I’ve got 91 hours logged on the PC version of The Witcher 3—I’m nearing the endgame, but given that I already finished on PS4 for my review, I’m in no hurry to finish for a second time. It’s a bit odd to be going back and playing through these DLC missions now; I can’t shake the feeling that they’d work better if I had waited to start a new game and experienced them as part of a more natural progression. That weirdness is compounded by the different level requirements for each mission. Some are appropriate for high-level players, while others are a cakewalk.
All the same, it’s nice to see CD Projekt Red adding yet more interesting, enjoyable free stuff to their already massive game. And of course, there’s even more DLC on the way, along with this week’s 1.07 patch. I’ll keep an eye on it as it comes.
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